That sound you hear is not the world ending – it’s liberalism being monstered | Waleed Aly

The useful part

When that happens, it quickly becomes a crisis for societies like ours Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Depending on your politics, the monsters are everywhere. Perhaps you see them in the form of tech billionaires and the artificial intelligence they're developing. Perhaps you see them in the bin fire of social media they bequeathed us before that, or the legacy media that refuse to tell you "the truth".

How it works

• You might see them in the manosphere, or the institutions teaching our kids gender fluidity.
• Maybe you see them in the migrant youth wielding machetes in the suburbs, or the refugee attempting to behead someone on a Belfast street.
• Or perhaps you see them in the violent anti-immigrant mobs that torched houses in response.
• If so, you'll likely see them in the Marches for Australia or to Unite the Kingdom rallies, organised by far-right groups but attended by many more besides.
• You'll almost certainly see them in at least one of Hamas, Israel or those local advocates at each other's throats over the Middle East.

What to take from it

It turns out most of us no longer believe in progress. I suspect you'll see them in Russia but that can no longer be assumed. Something in that paragraph probably outraged you.

Details worth keeping

It would be easy here to make a point about polarisation. I want to look at the deep disquiet that lies underneath.